Drones Up to 25 Pounds Allowed for U.S. Safety Agencies

Public safety agencies will be able
to operate unmanned aircraft with fewer restrictions, in the
first changes in U.S. regulations that Congress ordered to
broaden domestic use of non-military drones.

Police, fire and similar departments will be able to fly
drones weighing as much as 25 pounds (11.3 kilos) without
applying for special approvals needed under previous
regulations, the Federal Aviation Administration said today in a
statement on its website.

Today’s step is an interim one until the FAA completes
rules to allow small drones for commercial purposes, Ben Gielow,
government relations manager for the Association for Unmanned
Vehicle Systems International, said in a phone interview.
Congress ordered the FAA to complete those rules within two
years. A proposed regulation is due this year.

“The FAA’s sole mission and authority as it focuses on the
integration of unmanned aircraft systems is safety,” the FAA
said.

Congress is encouraging more U.S. drone flights under a law
that became final on Feb. 14, with the goal of adapting
technology used by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan. The law
also requires the FAA to name six test sites by June and
integrate drones into the U.S. aviation system by 2015.

The rule announced today calls for agencies to first show
they can operate a drone before getting an FAA permit. Drones
must fly within 400 feet (122 meters) of the ground, remain in
sight of the operator and stay clear of airports, the FAA said.

Expedited Approvals

The FAA also said it has streamlined the approval process
for special certificates it requires for other agencies and for
larger drones.

The new application process, which can be completed over
the Internet, creates expedited approvals for time-sensitive
emergency missions and a procedure letting applicants appeal
when they are denied, according to the statement.

The FAA has received applications from 61 agencies, police
departments and public universities to fly drones, according to
documents the agency released in April. They range from the
North Little Rock, Arkansas, police department to the U.S. Army,
Air Force, Navy and Marines, according to agency records.

While the FAA has shortened the time it takes to consider
requests to fly unmanned aircraft, some applicants have found
the process cumbersome, Gielow said. The Arlington, Virginia-based Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International
represents more than 2,100 members, including Boeing Co. (BA)’s
Insitu Inc. and Aerovironment Inc. (AVAV)

A Slow Increase

Drone use by law enforcement probably will begin slowly as
a few early adopters build confidence in the systems, he said.

“This will certainly make the process easier,” Gielow
said.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based
free-speech advocacy group, filed suit against the FAA last year
to force the agency to reveal the identities of drone operators.

“I don’t think the FAA should be increasing the number of
drone flights until they at least release the information on who
is flying drones already,” Jennifer Lynch, a foundation staff
attorney, said in a phone interview today.

The FAA released names last month of agencies that had
applied to fly drones. It has not provided any additional
details about the restrictions it imposes and how those drones
are used, Lynch said.

The law ordered the FAA to let public safety agencies fly
unmanned aircraft weighing less than 4.4 pounds. The agency
expanded that to 25 pounds. Its statement gave no explanation
for the change.

The FAA wrote the drone rules for public safety agencies in
conjunction with the U.S. Justice Department’s National
Institute of Justice, according to the statement.